The 20 Strangest Beauty Trends in History

Foot binding is one of the most painful and well-known aesthetic norms in history. For centuries in China, particularly among Han Chinese communities, “lotus feet”—feet that had been drastically reduced in size—were associated with femininity, elegance, and marital appeal. This process typically began in childhood, when girls’ feet were tightly bound to alter their growth and shape. What was once considered a sign of refinement is now recognized as a physically harmful practice that restricted women’s mobility.

In Japan, the practice of ohaguro involved staining the teeth black, and it was often associated with maturity, marriage, or the customs of the privileged social classes. Rather than viewing white teeth as an ideal, many found dark, shiny teeth to be beautiful and dignified. The dye was generally prepared from an iron-based mixture and may also have helped protect tooth enamel. To today’s readers, who are accustomed to teeth-whitening products, this standard seems completely reversed.

During certain periods of the Renaissance, a high forehead was considered a sign of beauty and refinement. Some women plucked or shaved their hairline to give the impression of a wider, smoother forehead. They might also thin out their eyebrows to make the upper part of the face appear more open. If you’ve ever looked at Renaissance portraits and noticed unusually high foreheads, this ideal of beauty explains why.

In some regions of Europe during the early modern period, a pale complexion was highly prized, as it was seen as a sign of wealth and a life sheltered from outdoor labor. To achieve this complexion, some people used lead-based cosmetics, particularly white powders that created a pale, smooth complexion. The problem was that lead could damage the skin and poison the body over the long term. The result was a beauty routine that allowed people to follow fashion trends while slowly harming their health.

Back when extreme paleness was in fashion, some women took this look even further by drawing blue veins on their skin. The goal was to give the complexion a delicate, translucent, sun-kissed appearance. This trend was particularly tied to social class, as pale skin suggested that a woman did not have to work outdoors. It may seem strange today, but at the time, these visible artificial veins helped create the illusion of refined fragility.

In Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, small decorative face coverings called “mouches” became fashionable accessories. They were often made of materials such as silk or velvet and could take the form of circles, stars, or hearts. Some people used them to conceal imperfections or scars, while others wore them purely for aesthetic reasons. A small face covering could draw attention to the lips, cheek, or eye, depending on where it was placed.

Large pupils were once considered so attractive that some women used belladonna-based eye drops to dilate their eyes. Belladonna, also known as “black nightshade,” could create a wide-eyed look, but it carried serious risks. It could blur vision, irritate the eyes, and even cause long-term damage. It’s one of those old-fashioned beauty practices where the desired effect was fleeting, but the danger was very real.

Corsets shaped European and American fashion for centuries, but the slim waist became particularly iconic during the Victorian era. A tightly laced corset helped create the fashionable silhouette of the time, visually slimming the waist and maintaining the torso in a well-defined shape. Not all corsets were worn to extremes, but this ideal nonetheless placed significant pressure on women to shape their bodies to fit their clothing. In many cases, the fashionable silhouette was the result of an artificial structure rather than a natural form.

In the mid-19th century, women wore hoop skirts under their dresses to create impressive volume. These rigid petticoats helped create the flared silhouette that dominated fashion for a time. They could be impressive, but they also made even the simplest movements—such as sitting down or walking through a doorway—difficult. The ideal of beauty was based on occupying space in a way that clearly signaled social status.

Once crinolines began to go out of style, bustles shifted the emphasis to volume at the back of the body. These pads or frames were worn under the skirt to accentuate the rear silhouette. To Victorians, this silhouette may have seemed elegant, harmonious, and proper. From a modern perspective, it is striking to see just how much effort was put into reshaping a very specific part of the outfit.

During the Renaissance in Venice, some women wore chopines, shoes with extremely high wedge heels. They helped protect clothing and feet from the dampness and dirt of the streets, but they also became symbols of social status. Some chopines were so high that women needed the help of servants or attendants just to walk. This height served both practical needs and a desire for ostentation, making these shoes both useful and highly impractical.

In Qing Dynasty China, having long nails could indicate that a person was wealthy enough not to have to perform manual labor. Some women of the elite wore ornate nail guards to protect their nails and highlight their status. These accessories could be made from metals such as silver or copper and adorned with detailed patterns. Manicures were not just a matter of aesthetics; they showed that the person’s hands did not have to work.

When nylon stockings became scarce during World War II, many women turned to makeup or cosmetic products designed to mimic stockings to cover their legs. Some even went so far as to draw a line down the back of each leg to mimic the seam of real stockings. This look was a practical response to rationing, but it also shows just how strong fashion expectations remained even during wartime. Even when the garment itself had disappeared, the appearance of wearing it still mattered.

For centuries in Europe, men’s legs played an important role in dress codes. Well-defined calves could be accentuated with tight-fitting stockings, breeches, and court attire. Some men even went so far as to use padding to enhance the appearance of their legs. This reminds us that strict beauty standards have never been limited to women, even though women often bore the brunt of them.

In the early 1900s, the straight-front corset, which was very much in vogue, helped create what is often called the “S-curve” silhouette. It pushed the chest forward and the hips backward, creating a posture that looked elegant in Edwardian fashion illustrations. This style was sometimes presented as a healthier alternative to earlier corsets, but its exaggerated shape still forced the body into an unnatural position.

In Japan, during the Heian period, noblewomen often plucked their natural eyebrows to draw new ones higher up on their foreheads. This practice, known as hikimayu, was part of other aesthetic customs among the elite, such as face powder and long, dark hair. These drawn-on eyebrows were not meant to look natural in the modern sense of the word. Rather, they helped create a stylized, courtly look that reflected the tastes of the time.

In ancient Greece, a unibrow was considered a sign of beauty because it evoked symmetry and elegance. Women who did not naturally have a unibrow would sometimes use a dark pigment to fill in the space between their eyebrows. This detail may seem surprising today, since many modern beauty routines are specifically designed to remove hair from that very area. This shows just how quickly a small physical feature can go from being an asset to a flaw.

Intentional skull deformation was practiced in several ancient cultures, particularly among certain communities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Infants’ heads were bound or shaped while the skull was still malleable, resulting in elongated or flattened shapes. These shapes often held social, cultural, or aesthetic significance within the groups that practiced them. Altering the skull for aesthetic reasons may seem extreme, but in these societies, it could be an integral part of one’s identity from the earliest years of life.

The ancient Maya practiced decorative tooth modification, particularly through inlays made from materials such as jade, pyrite, and obsidian. Skilled artisans carefully carved small cavities into the teeth and set the stones in them. These decorated teeth could symbolize beauty, social status, identity, or carry social significance. Unlike modern cosmetic dentistry, which often seeks to give teeth a natural appearance, Mayan dental art emphasized these ornaments.

During the Tang Dynasty in China, curvier female figures were often admired, especially in contrast to later or modern ideals that emphasized thinness. Yang Guifei, one of the most famous beauties in Chinese history, became the very embodiment of this preference, although modern descriptions of her body vary and are often influenced by legend. The alluring figure of that era was synonymous with health, luxury, and prosperity. In this context, softness and roundness could embody precisely what many societies expected of beauty.